The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for coupling an optical drive to an information handling system chassis.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option is an information handling system. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements may vary between different applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
For some information handling systems such as, for example, portable notebook computers, there is a desire for the information handling system to be as thin and lightweight as possible. In many of these information handling systems, it is the optical drive that drives the thickness of the information handling system. Such optical drives are typically commodity components which are purchased from different suppliers and which include common dimensions such that the optical drives are exchangeable between a variety information handling systems in order to decrease the cost of the drives.
Conventional optical drives typically include a drive chassis which houses a drive tray that includes the optical drive mechanism. That drive chassis is typically coupled to an information handling system chassis, and the drive tray slides out of the drive chassis in order to allow a user to change removable media from the drive tray. However, this drive mounting solution results in a chassis within a chassis, which adds undesirable weight and thickness to the information handling system.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide for coupling an optical drive to a chassis absent the disadvantages found in the prior methods discussed above.